Blumhouse’s The Invisible Man Reboot Gets An Official Synopsis

Blumhouse and Universal have released an official synopsis for The Invisible Man reboot. Universal had originally intended to revive the horror property for its Dark Universe, with Johnny Depp starring as the titular character. However, the shared monster movie franchise was cancelled after Alex Kurtzman’s The Mummy reboot disappointed in 2017, and The Invisible Man remake moved to Blumhouse instead.

Written and directed by Leigh Whannell (Insidious: Chapter 3, Upgrade), Blumhouse’s The Invisible Man is a low-budget, socially conscious take on the classic Universal monster in the vein of the studio’s popular horror films like Get Out, The Purge series, and Halloween. It’s led by a cast that includes The Haunting of Hill House actor Oliver Jackson-Cohen as The Invisible Man and The Handmaid’s Tale star Elisabeth Moss as his ex-girlfriend. Other key roles are played by Aldis Hodge (Brian Banks), Harriet Dyer (The InBetween), and Storm Reid (A Wrinkle in Time).

Filming got underway on The Invisible Man in Sydney, Australia last month, ahead of the movie’s scheduled release in February 2020 (it was only recently bumped up from March). Universal and Blumhouse have since unveiled the official plot summary for the reboot, which you can read below.

What you can’t see can hurt you. Emmy winner Elisabeth Moss (Us, Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale) stars in a terrifying modern tale of obsession inspired by Universal’s classic monster character.

Trapped in a violent, controlling relationship with a wealthy and brilliant scientist, Cecilia Kass (Moss) escapes in the dead of night and disappears into hiding, aided by her sister (Harriet Dyer, NBC’s The InBetween), their childhood friend (Aldis Hodge, Straight Outta Compton) and his teenage daughter (Storm Reid, HBO’s Euphoria).

But when Cecilia’s abusive ex (Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House) commits suicide and leaves her a generous portion of his vast fortune, Cecilia suspects his death was a hoax. As a series of eerie coincidences turns lethal, threatening the lives of those she loves, Cecilia’s sanity begins to unravel as she desperately tries to prove that she is being hunted by someone nobody can see.

This synopsis lines up with The Invisible Man plot details that’ve leaked over the last several months, ever since the movie started casting earlier this year. It’s also been reported that Jackson-Cohen’s character turns himself invisible using an advanced suit he initially developed for the Department of Defense, suggesting that The Invisible Man will deal with the dangers of technology in the wrong hands (much like Whannel’s last movie, the acclaimed sci-fi thriller Upgrade). Moss has further described the film as a story of empowerment and a woman abuse victim overcoming their abuser, similar to Whannell’s scripts for Insidious: Chapter 3 (which he directed) and especially Insidious: The Last Key (which he wrote only).

Although The Invisible Man is being approached as a one-off, it could wind up launching a new set of Universal monster reboots. The studio has failed twice now to revitalize its popular horror IPs (first with 2014’s Dracula Untold, then The Mummy), but there’s reason to believe third time will be the charm, given Blumhouse’s previous successes. Producer Jason Blum has even said he’s “open” to reconfiguring the scripts for abandoned Dark Universe reboots like Bride of Frankenstein and The Wolfman, in the event that The Invisible Man becomes a box office hit. Failing that, the project sounds like a timely and otherwise scary take on the idea that someone being able to turn themselves invisible is actually pretty horrifying.